


A Hunter Named Vera

by Shadowspeaker



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-28
Updated: 2015-02-17
Packaged: 2018-01-10 07:50:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 20,588
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1157006
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowspeaker/pseuds/Shadowspeaker
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>On a routine Demon hunt Sam and Dean save a girl who turns out to be a new time hunter. Not taking no for an answer this mysterious girl hits the road with Sam and Dean to learn how to be a full time hunter. During s5 while Dean and Sam are re-learning how to work together. I thought Team Free Will needed a full time girl. So meet Vera Vicari! T for language and Violence.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Meet Vera

**Author's Note:**

> So I have kind of fallen in love with this idea and i would like to do it right. I would very much appreciate some feedback. Also posted on Fanfiction net, name September Williams.

Two brothers crouched behind the boxes that were littered all over the warehouse. They were in. They saw a tall lanky man in a black coat. He circled a girl who was duct taped to a chair. Another, the red headed girl who had been one of the disappearances the brothers were investigating, lay on the floor amidst a puddle of her own blood. Guess they found Andria Moir too late. Sam looked at Dean and signaled for him to go around and distract the man. He slid ruby’s demon knife to his brother and nodded to him. Dean moved away creeping behind a wall of boxes and disappeared from Sam’s sight.   
“Hey! Scumbag! Anybody home? Hello!” He heard moments later from the other side of the warehouse. The man in the black coat turned around and Sam caught sight of his fully black eyes. At least there was no doubt now that it was a demon. He left in what was presumably Dean’s direction. Sam was glad now that he had given Dean the knife. He quickly strode over to the girl in the chair trying not to step the heap that was now Andria Moir. He took a dagger from his coat and cut her hands and shoulders free. She slumped forward into his arms and he propped her back up and removed the tape from her mouth. She had light olive skin, a round face and prominent cheekbones. Her black hair hung in rivulets all the way down her back, parts only somewhat held back by a wooden hairpin and a leather strap. He shook her and her eyes flickered. He patted her cheeks. “Come on lady, wake up.”  
She moaned and her eyes opened. A soon as she took in her surrounding she started to struggle. She was much stronger then Sam anticipated. She punched him in the gut pretty hard but Sam clamped his arms around her.   
“Not here to hurt you, you need to calm down!” He hissed at her.  
She stopped and fixed him with a cold glare before shoving him away from her. The kicking and screaming part Sam was used to but he didn’t expect her be so instantly calm. She tried to stand tall but next to Sam it didn’t really make a difference. She was wearing black pants, a blue shirt and black leather jacket. She had on black motorcycle boots that came up just bellow her knees. She made to go over to a table filled with jagged unpleasant looking knives that was near where she had been tied up, but looked down at the girl instead.  
“Andria Moir?” She asked Sam. He nodded frowning  
“I’m Sam by the way.”  
“Vera.” She replied curtly grabbing up what looked like a water gun from a pile set near the weapons table. “Why are you here?” She picked up a blade from the table as well.  
Sam showed her his fake badge “FBI I’m going to get you out of here, we don’t have much time.” She all but ignored him.  
“What happened to my captor?”  
“My partner is taking care of him.” He took her by the arm but she pulled away. He curls bounced around as she vigorously shook her head.  
“It wasn’t a man, it was a woman.” She narrowed her eyes and pulled the trigger on the water gun. Sam sighed, unfortunately used to be doused in holy water.  
“Not a demon.” He said unnecessarily.  
“No Shit.” Vera said. “I don’t know how you know about demons and I don’t care. Your partner know too?”  
Sam nodded.  
“Good because if there's more than one I'm thinking we fell into a nest here. Can you draw a devils trap?”  
Sam was about reply, but was cut off by the appearance of a girl in a red pantsuit with a short black bob. Her eyes flicked from brown to pure black.   
“Sorry to interrupt.” She said with a smile. She threw them both against the wall. Vera cussed, and shot a stream of holy water at their attacker and she screamed but only speed closer and ripped the gun from her hands.  
“Exorcizamus te, omnis immundus spiritus   
Omnis satanica potestas, omnis incursio   
Infernalis adversarii, omnis legio,   
Omnis congregatio et secta diabolica. 

Ergo draco maledicte   
et omnis legio diabolica adjura—”   
The demon grabbed Vera by the throat before she could recite anymore of the exorcism. Sam was impressed that she knew it. He rambled off the Latin as fast as he could.  
“Adjuramus te.   
Cessa decipere humanas creaturas,   
Eisque aeternae Perditionis venenum propinare.   
Humiliare sub potenti manu dei,   
Contremisce et effuge, invocato a   
Nobis”  
She turned her black eyes on him and sent him flying into the ground, her hand never leaving Vera’s throat.   
“Having all the fun with out me?” A new voice said. The man in the black coat had come back. Sam felt his stomach drop. Where was Dean? But then the new demon hurled him into a stack of boxes and he lost the thought. He sat up some moments later with difficulty. He saw the girl demon still holding Vera, who was coughing and turning red. She smiled fondly at the other demon.   
“I left this one kicking for you, Malachi” She said with a tilt of her head.   
“We’ll wait for Vinny. He’s finishing his warm up before the main event.” He gave a toothy grin that made Sam’s stomach churn. All that was missing was the evil cackle. He hoped Dean was alright. He drew his gun and shot at the demon holding Vera. The salt round clipped her shoulder. It gave Vera enough time to pull out the pin from her hair. Sam thought it was a poor weapon of choice, but when Vera plunged it through the demons hand and it screamed.   
“Sancto et terribili nomine,   
Quem inferi tremunt.  
Ab insidiis diaboli, libera nos, Domine.   
Ut Ecclesiam tuam secura tibi facias   
Libertate servire, te rogamus, audi nos.  
Ut inimicos sanctae Ecclesiae humiliare digneris,  
te rogamus, audi nos!”  
The she demon opened her mouth and the black smoke fled downward back to hell. The other was gaging but it hadn’t heard the beginning of the exorcism. It was shakily getting to its feet and looked extremely pissed off.  
“You killed my wife you insolent BITCH!” He grabbed up a knife. “I’m going to make you die slow and screaming.” He took a step forward, bloodlust gleaming in his black eyes.  
“Incoming!” Dean shouted as he and a male blonde haired demon toppled into the scene through a stack of crates. Dean had blood down the side of his face and the demon he was fighting looked worse for wear too. It had learned to be wary of Ruby’s knife and attacked Dean until it clattered from his hand.   
He heard a scream and looked back. The blonde woman that the demon had just evacuated was still alive. She looked hysteric though, she was screaming and crying. She had fallen into Andria’s blood. She was clutching her hand where Vera had stabbed the demon. Sam now saw the hairpin was a small thin stake. It was still in her hand.  
“Sweetie,” Vera said, “Do you remember what happened?”  
The woman nodded. “Then know I’m here to help you” another nod. “Close your eyes and don’t move hon.” The woman complied and Vera ripped the stake out of her hand and she screamed some more. “Now run!” Vera told her, stepping between her and the demonic commotion. “Get back to town and go to the hospital. Try to forget about this.” She didn’t wait for the woman’s reaction (Which was to run, screaming). Dean was still grappling with the demon on the floor and Sam had lost track of the vengeful one, Malachi. Vera looked toward the table that had held an array of weapons but that dean and the demon had knocked over. She gave a frustrated sigh that was really more of a growl, and picked a knife up off the floor at lunged at the demon that was on top of Dean. Surprise snapped Sam out of his revere. He hoisted the salt gun and took aim. Vera had rolled the demon off of his brother and wrestling with it; no clear shot. His brother was scrambling to get the knife he had dropped back. And then Sam saw Malachi coming up behind Vera to Attack. Sam fired five shots and the demon backed off with a growl. Vera had staked the man the same way she had the other demon.   
“Crux sancta sit mihi lux   
Non draco sit mihi dux  
Vade retro satana   
Nunquam suade mihi vana  
Sunt mala quae libas   
Ipse venena bibas”  
The words weren’t familiar to Sam, but he vowed to learn them because sure enough the demon was smoking out of the man and down to hell. As it happened, a scream echoed from the other side of the warehouse.   
“NO!” Another demon. She had a blonde braid and pale skin in a black dress. Her black eyes trained on Vera. The man that the demon had left behind was alive as well and Vera pulled her stake back before he could really come to. She told him to run as she had told the woman. He likewise, listened. Dean, with the knife now in hand wrapped his arm around the newest she demon and stabbed it in the heart. The skeleton glowed as the demon died.   
“That’s not possible.” Vera said. Her gray eyes were wide in astonishment. In her moment of distraction, Malachi snuck up behind her and plunged the knife into her stomach.   
Dean ran up and slashed the demons throat. Vera moaned and fell to the floor as the red bleed through her blue top.   
“Son of a bitch.” She muttered frustrated, and applied pressure to the wound. Dean dropped down to her side and cursed.   
“Sammy we’ve got to get her out of here. I have nothing to bandage this with.”   
“Dean?” She whispered, staring at the hunter. He looked at her incredulously.  
“We met before?” He asked. She shook her head and then grit her teeth in pain. Dean put one arm under her knees and the other under her arms. He moved to leave the warehouse but she cried out, “Wait! Odi! My baby!”  
“What?” Dean asked with a what-the-fuck-are-you-on-lady kind of look. She looked around and then her eyes widened in relief.  
“I see it there under the table. The whip, Sam grab it for me.” Sam followed her directions and found it under a mess of crates and other weapons. He pulled it out carefully. He had to admit it looked really badass.  
“We stopped for that?” Dean asked annoyed, still holding Vera in his arms. Vera nodded at him wearily and let her head loll a bit. “You have the Impala I have Odi. I won’t hurt your baby if you don’t judge mine.” She murmured. The threat was lost on Dean coming from her in this state of weakness.  
“Wait, how do you know I drive an Impala? How’d you know my name? Who fuck are you?”  
Vera gave a little huff that could be loosely taken for a laugh. “I’m nobody.” She was breathing heavy.   
“Lets talk about this later.” Sam intervened. “She needs help.”  
Dean nodded reluctantly and carried Vera out to the Impala. Sam sat with her in the back seat.  
“Get on the main road heading away from town. Turn at the first right past madison. I have a house on the second left from there. I bet it’s closer than anything else.”  
“That’s real specific.” Dean grumbled.  
“Don’t you know girls are biologically incapable of producing proper directions?” she said sarcastically and he laughed.  
“How’d you know where we were? You just woke up when I cut you loose.” Sam said.  
“I know the warehouse. Passed it everyday going into town the past two weeks.”  
“Never got a name.” Dean said from the front seat.  
“Vera. Vera Vicari” She started loosing consciousness and her hand started to slip from the wound. Sam grabbed up a towel and took over applying the pressure. Vera tried to hold on but soon found herself fading into black unconsciousness.


	2. Stitches and Morning Inquiry

“Vera! Vera come on, get up!”   
“Vera! Vera wake up! Come on now,” Vera opened her eyes. She tensed remembering the demon attacking her outside the bar, but a pain in her abdomen quickly reminded her of the night’s events. Sam's hand was drenched in blood and him and Dean were looking out the window. "Sam…” she looked from him to the front seat “and Dean.” She sighed. “I thought that was a very vivid dream...”   
“'Fraid not.” One of them replied; she wasn't sure which. Her vision was swimming. She looked out the window and saw the Charlwood house. Words fell from her mouth without her lending them any thought. She sounded drunk. “Odi, look! Fake home” She looked in her hand but only saw her hairpin. She frowned. “Hey boys, can ya give a girl a hand?” Sam was shaking his head at her but opened the door and picked her out of the car carefully. “Got key's?” Dean asked “Kick it.” Vera said. Dean didn't need to be told twice. The door swung in without much protest. It didn’t escape the boys’ notice that the house was near completely barren. The walls were plain white and looked recently stripped of any decoration. Each room only had a piece or two of furniture, just the essentials. “My bedrooms down the hall, first door on the left.” Sam carried her there and sat her down on the bed gently. Sam looked toward his brother. “Dean keep pressure on this. You got a first aid kit?” he asked looking at Vera.  
“There should be everything you need in the bathroom,” she gestured to it meekly. Dean took over Sam's job, and helped Vera shrug her jacket off. Half her shirt was reddened by now. Sam returned his arms full of supplies. “Let me see, Dean,” he lifted the bandage, and made a face. “Your shirt's gotten into the wound.” Her took a pair of scissors and cut around the fabric near the wound. He cut the rest of it open to give him room to work. “I'm going to clean the wound and it’s going to hurt.” He told held straight. She nodded and set her hairpin on the bedside table. Her hand fumbled at the drawer and Sam helped her with it. The drawer was littered with pieces of leather. He handed her one that was about an inch thick and she shoved it between her teeth and nodded to him. “Dean, hold her still.” Vera grunted in pain as Sam cleaned the wound. Luckily the demon didn't get to deep. The main problem was the blood she had lost. He still needed to stitch her closed. “Got anything strong that will help?” He asked. She nodded “There's s bottle of whiskey in my duffle.” Dean got it for her and she downed it with speed that impressed even the elder Winchester. After that she calmed considerably and Sam started to stitch her up, but the silence was grating on him. He glanced over at her mini –stake/ hairpin.    
“What is that anyway? Takes more than a stab to the palm to make a demon scream like that.” Sam said.    
“Palo Santo,” she said “not a lot of hunters use it so that don't expect it. Burns them like holy water and keeps them from smoking away.” The brothers nodded it understanding. Dean picked it up and twirled it between his fingers. “Hidden in plain sight. Elegant.” Sam finished her stitches and tied them off. “Not the best but it should hold.” Her told her. She nodded “If I need to I'll reopen it and go to a hospital.” A silence followed this. The brothers exchanged a look that said should we leave? A look that Vera caught.   
“You two are not leaving me. There are three other rooms. It's a big house. Stay here tonight, let me rest and we'll talk in the morning.” Dean and Sam wondered if they should stay, but both were just curious enough about her to agree. She also made it a little difficult to argue. “There's food and beer on the fridge. Mi casa es su casa, bueno?” She murmured as she buried her head in her pillow. They nodded and she fell into an uneasy sleep.  
When Vera woke up the sun was streaming in rays onto her bed. She was also covered with one of the blankets she had had by the edge of the bed. She pushed it off and tested her wound. Yep, still hurt like a bitch. But it was nothing she couldn't handle, or hadn't handled before she pushed herself onto a standing position. Her legs shook and she clutched her stitches in pain, but grit her teeth and refused to be defeated by this. She also had to make sure Sam and Dean weren’t just a figure of her imagination. She was just outside the kitchen when she heard voices.  
“We don’t know anything about her. I’m telling you we should go.” One of them was saying.  
“She’s hurt and she seems harmless enough, man.” That was Sam, had to be.  
“Probably what those demons thought.” Dean said.  
“She did get stabbed” Sam pointed out.  
“Part of the job.” Dean dismissed   
Vera decided it was time to go on in. She walked painfully slow and didn’t make as much of an entrance as she would have liked. The conversation cut off abruptly, she heard someone’s chair scrape against the floor as they pushed it back to stand.  
“Vera, you shouldn’t be walking.”  
“Yet here we are.” She said tiredly sinking into a third chair, waving away Sam’s worry. Dean fixed her with a less tender gaze.  
“So you are a hunter?” He said.  
“What gave it away?” Vera asked.  
“Your pain threshold, for one.”  
“Yes I’m a hunter. Can we pause the 20 questions? Did anyone make coffee?” she asked meekly. The boys gave halfhearted chuckles and a moment later a mug of black coffee was set down in front of her. She drank it in gratefully and let out a contented sigh. After a cup Sam got her a refill and she said “Alright, Alright question time. I think I’m lucid now.”   
“Lets start with the basic’s. Tell us how you ended up in that warehouse.”  
“Hmhm fun times. Well I can tell you right off that I was not in town investigating demons. I was here for this.” She gestured to the house around her. “Albert Charlwood lived her for long years. Had the wife two kids, a couple dogs even. Few months’ back, the wife dies in a tumble down the stairs, cracked open her skull. Turns out what she was running from when she fell was the sight of her husband having an affair. This turns into a vengeful spirit thing. She killed the kids, for whatever reason and the woman her husband was seeing went into critical condition about the time I arrived. Second time in as many months. I came to talk to Albert and he was done, wanted out. I think he was going to kill himself, but he gambled the house and all its contents away to me instead. He sold a bunch of stuff and hit the road. I burned the rest minus some of the furniture I found helpful. Found the wife salted her bones and stuck around to make sure her spirit was gone. At least from here, you know? And then the weird stuff started happening in town. Sounded like possession crap, so I took Odi and the gun and hit a few bars in town. Then the bitch in the pantsuit jumped me and… you know the rest.”  
“Well that explains the house.” Said Sam casting a glance around the empty house.  
“Now the million dollar question.” Dean said looking at Vera until she met his gaze. “How’d you know my name? And about the impala?”  
“Ah yes. Well there is only one knife I know of in the entire world that can actually kill demons. Ruby’s Knife.”  
“How’d you know that?” Sam asked.  
“The way the general nerd populous does. I read Supernatural.” Dean groaned at her words  
“Just because you read a damn book does not give you any right to put yourself in danger.”  
“You don’t think I know that?” She snapped at him hard enough to make her stitches hurt. “Come on Dean, you should know this. Every hunter gets started in tragedy. You think I would be handling stupid vengeful spirits and demons, copious amounts of demons, if I were just a fucking fan? No I learned some things. I know it’s the apocalypse and I’m jus doing what I can. Understand?”  
“So why were you so shocked when we showed up?” Sam asked. She laughed at him disbelievingly.  
“I didn’t think you were real. I knew that the things Chuck wrote about were real. I accepted the basis I just didn’t understand how real.” She looked at the two of them as if they were spirits that were going to disappear any moment.  
“Okay wait a minute.” Dean interjected. “How do you know about Chuck and about the apocalypse. He uses a pen name and we told him no more books. He didn’t publish more books did he?”  
“No. I was a big fan. Knew just about everything there was to know. I was an outsider child and Supernatural was my thing. I loved you boys.” She said embarrassedly, her face coloring slightly. “And then one day it was real. Demons possessed my father. I lived with my brother, sister and my parents and I was always the last one home. When I came home they were all dead. It had killed them with the face of my father. He tried to kill me too, but like I said I knew everything. I babbled out an exorcism without much thought but I just succeeded in making it angry. It stabbed my father in the chest and got away. He died shortly after. I didn’t know what to do after that, I was being blamed for all their deaths, I was adopted and don’t have any family. Naturally, I ran. So I looked for the real Carver Edlund, Chuck. I tried to make him understand that all of it was real and that I needed help. He turned me away like another crazed fan. I realize now it must have been before he met you two. But I didn’t leave; I still needed help. The world is different once you realize that every terror you can imagine is real. His process was to get drunk off his ass, pass out, wake up, write, and repeat. I’d break into his house and read the new stuff every so often while he was passed out, to keep me updated. Its scary, when what you see on the news the next day reflected what he wrote. I worked in town and worked on my weapon, Odyne.”  
“I’m sorry,” Dean interjected. “Did you just say oh dean?”  
“O-d-y-n-e, Odyne after the goddess of pain. I met another group of hunters and know for a fact that she is dead, and I like the sentiment. Where is she?” Sam grabbed it up from where he had laid it the night before and handed it to her.  
"It took a long while to get it right. The whole thing is interlocking links of iron and silver." She twisted the blade at the top and pulled it off. If one didn't know any better it would have thought it was just a whip. "The whole thing is coated in salt. Comes in handy for most anything you need to hunt. Everything from demons to humans."   
"That's not terribly well thought through.” Sam said sarcasm underlying his words.  
“I was scared, really scared, and I just wanted something I knew how to use that could protect me.” She tried to justify.  
“That’s not what I meant. I mean how did you even know how to go about making this?”  
“Ah well, before the demons hit the salt I was almost finished with my engineering education. I worked internships with a few companies and I know my machinery.”  
“How’d you make it?”   
“I may have broke into some place I shouldn’t have been to borrow equipment and supplies.”  
Finally Dean spoke up  
“So your obviously not stalking Chuck any more, when did you quit reading?”  
“When Lucifer walked free.” She noticed Sam tense at that. “I had gone on small hunts by myself, hearing of the rise in demonic activity but not knowing what it meant. So I left, got together with another group of hunters.”  
“And where are they?” Dean asked. Vera worried her bottom lip.  
“They weren’t like you, you know hardcore, blood hunters. We were amateurs, and we didn’t have anyone to teach us- well anything. There were five of us at the start, now maybe just two…”   
Meaning dead. All dead. There followed a silence in which no one really knew how to follow up Vera’s words.  
“So what’s you next move?” Dean asked finally.  
“I don’t know you tell me.” There was something about her tone that made her words suspicious. Sam puzzled it out first.  
“You want to come with us?” He asked in disbelief.  
“Oh I’m coming with you.”  
“And if we say no?” Dean said using his low threatening tone. Vera just smiled at him.  
“I don’t think you will.” She said matter-of-factly.  
Sensing a fight Sam got up to refill his coffee, mentally already accepting the fact that Vera would be accompanying them wherever they were off to next. Dean got up and was bickering with Vera  
“No!”  
“Yes.”  
Sam smiled into his coffee.


	3. Hunters Never Sleep

Vera sat in the back of the impala looking thoroughly pleased with herself. She let her head loll onto her duffle bag of belongings. It seemed really empty, as she had put her weapons in the trunk of the Impala. Dean still wasn’t convinced that Vera was going to stay with them for very long. He thought they were just taking her to the next town. How precious. No Vera was there to stay, and she knew Dean would have to be convinced that this was a good thing. She also knew that Sam would back her up. He had accepted the fact that she would be accompanying them so fast that she knew he wanted her to stay. The thought made her smile. She looked out the window the lines from the books coming back to her: Saving People, hunting things the family business.  
She looked to the front seat where Sam was complaining about the music and Dean actually said  
“Driver picks the music, shotgun shuts his cake hole.”  
Vera pressed her hand to her mouth to keep from laughing. She still couldn’t believe it. True, all of it’s true… oh. She stopped smiling. She looked at Sam she wondered if he still thought about Jess or about his demon blood, or other demons blood… yeah he probably did. Probably isn’t over the fact that he started the apocalypse either. She watched him look out the window his fingers twitching restlessly. His head drooped slightly and she noticed how tired he really looked. She wondered what his nightmares were like. She turned her gaze on the elder brother. He looked so young at first glance, but then you realize that he actually carries the weight of more years than you can imagine. It’s all in his eyes, when he’s still it’s really clear. He was mouthing the words to the blaring Metallica and had his eyes trained on the road. She thought about the hell Dean lived through, and the messengers of heaven as well. It was miracle he could be so together. Anyone else would have ended up in a psych ward. But when were the Winchesters ever just anybody? She wondered when the last time they heard from Castiel was, but decided not to ask. There was an undeniable tension in the car. Vera had initially put it down to her presence but she realized it was more than that. The boys weren’t talking to each other, or looking at each other.  
“What happened?” Sam looked back at her and frowned.  
“What?”  
“Between you two, something’s wrong.” Dean looked over at Sam and the caught each other’s gaze and then looked away.  
“I don’t see how you have a right to know anymore about us than you already do.” Dean said curtly.   
“Okay.” She said simply and pulled her duffel down and scooted over so that she could lay down in the back seat. Her head was laid on the driver side and Sam looked back at her and sighed.   
“We should find a hotel.” He said. Well, Vera hadn’t meant to bring that about but Sam looked like he could use some rest. Dean nodded to his brother and twenty minutes later they pulled up into a shabby motel and booked two rooms, two beds each.   
“Am I solo, or do I get a watchdog bunk-buddy?” She asked as the walked away from the reception desk and dean handed her a room key. She knew Dean didn’t trust her and she assumed he would want Sammy close in case Vera turned out to be bad news, but she thought she’d give them the choice since there obviously was something going down between them. Dean opened his mouth to respond but Sam answered before him.   
“Yeah, I’ll room with you if you don’t mind.” He said. She tilted her head at him, glance at Deans closed off face, shrugged and walked away. She heard them arguing quietly in hushed tone, that wasn’t all that quiet. Even though she wanted to know what was up she picked up her pace and let them bicker privately. She got to the room, opened it and threw down her stuff. Both rooms were on the top floor right next to each other. She could see the Impala from the window, which meant Dean’s room probably had the same advantage. The boys had finally caught up with her, and she could still hear them arguing.  
“Let’s just get through the night okay? If you don’t wake up to my dead body maybe you can give her a chance?”  
“What a stupid thing to risk your life for. I’m not down with that.”  
“You know it wouldn’t be much of a risk for either of us.”  
Vera cleared her throat unnecessarily, just to let them know she could hear them and then said, “I’m going to take a shower” She grabbed up her duffle and headed to the bathroom. She he the door to her room close, so the must have reached an agreement, or at least an impasse. She stripped down and stepped into the poor stream of water. At least it was hot. She stayed in until the fog in the room was so thick she could hardly breath anymore and turned it off. She dressed in sweats and a loose tank. She Grabbed up her duffle and towel and went back into the room. Sam was on the bed closest to the door and had his laptop on his knees. She plopped her stuff onto the bed and pulled out a brush and started attacking her mess of curls, a necessary but forever losing battle.   
“So did you want to talk, or something? Or are you just avoiding Dean, for reasons I am not entitled to know?” She said after tearing through the knots at the bottom of her hair.   
Sam sighed and closed his laptop.   
“A little of both?” He said with a shrug and a shake of the head. “Listen, I know you read up to the apocalypse so you should know-”  
“That you killed Lilith?” He nodded gravely.  
“I’m the one that started the apocalypse.”  
“So?” His head snapped up  
“Huh?”   
“I wasn’t like you were planning this. Wasn’t like you were Lucifer’s right hand or something. You were doing what you’ve always done, the job. It’s not you’re your fault Azazel made you for hell, or that Ruby played you. The breaking of the seals isn’t even entirely your fault. The angel didn’t fight those battles to be won. And if you think Dean’s going to hold this over you you’re a moron you know. He was the one to break the first seal, remember? He loves you more than anything, he sold his soul for you, spat in the face of heaven for, he’ll bleed for you and even right now he’s not that far. He’s probably staying up in case I go crazy killer and attack you.”   
He huffed out a laugh, but there was still pain in his eyes.  
“Say what you’re thinking.” She told him. He looked at her, there was so much hurt in those brown eyes.  
“How can I live with myself now?” Vera considered this a minute.   
“After the cage broke open, what happened?”  
“We were zapped away from the cage, something carried us to safety. The demons blood in me, at least the stuff that I drained, was gone. Cass thought it might be God…”  
“Then there’s your answer.” She was secretly fixating on the fact that Castiel wasn’t dead. It was very much a relief.  
“What? God wants me to live with what I’ve done?” He asked angrily.  
“Possibly, but I don’t think so. I think it’s your second chance. He saved you because you must live with it. You still have work to do.” There was silence as he let that sink in.   
“You should try to sleep.” She told him. “You look awful.”  
He nodded but didn’t really make a move to relax or go to sleep other than stash his laptop on the bedside table.   
“Is there a reason you don’t want to sleep?”  
“Lucifer.” Was all he said in response.  
“You think Lucy’s gonna get ya while you new best friend and brother are on watch? Get real.” He smiled at her, and lowered him self down onto the bed. He drew his knees up because the bed was too short to   
“Dean will come round soon you know. It won’t be the greatest thing for me once your evil minds start to get along, but it’s better than paranoid mistrusting Dean any day.”  
“Just get some sleep Sam.” She said as she plopped her brush down onto her bag. She put the rest of it up into a ponytail and turned out the light. She waited until she was sure Sam was asleep and moved over to the small living area and flipped on the TV. She sat in the chair next to their window and half watched the motel lot and half watched TV. She was started to feel drowsy, when she heard yelling from down in the lot.  
Looking out the window she saw a small blonde-haired woman backing away from a big dude in a black leather jacket. She sighed as she watched hoping things wouldn’t get violent. The biker dude was approaching the girl and his voice was rising, and Vera could hear her crying and yelling. She couldn’t make out any words other than slurred profanity. He was obviously drunk. Someone opened a door on the lower floor of the motel to tell them to quiet down and the biker pulled out a knife. The door quickly shut and lights in several rooms went out. She knew no one in this piece of crap hotel was going to call the cops unless someone actually got hurt. Well shit, Vera thought quickly slipping on her boots and grabbing Odyne, not a single night off. She slipped out of the motel room quietly. She padded quickly down the concrete steps, she was still in her sweats and tank and the chill made her muscles clench and her newest scar hurt. The yelling had gotten much louder now that she was outside. The drunken biker was yelling at the woman who had fallen and was cowering against the brick wall.   
“Hey!” She snapped at him. Her voice was strong but not loud. She felt awkward, exposed, and small next to the big dude, even though he was not by far the worst thing she had taken on. She didn’t really like making a scene though.  
“Get the hell out of her bitch!” He said, flashing his knife and not even sparing her a glance.   
“No.” She said with her perfectly calm and reasonably tone that she knew set people off.  
“This aint yer buissness.”  
“True,” Vera acknowledged. “But who else would step in? You’re drunk, just put the knife down and leave that girl alone, and we can all still find some piece tonight.”   
“You think y’cn take me?” He slurred at her turning to face her finally, realizing she wasn’t going to let it drop. Vera let Odyne unfurl and felt something inside her click. Fighting with Odyne made her feel calm and focused. The biker dude didn’t care or, more likely, didn’t notice. He started forward with his pathetic knife. He took a drunken slice at the air, still to far to actually come in contact with Vera. Vera flicked her wrist up and Odyne complied and wrapped around the man’s wrist. Vera pulled him forward and ducked under his arm. She twisted the knife out of his hand, and hit him in the back of the head with the hilt of the knife. It was almost disappointing how fast he went down. She cocked her head to the side waiting to she if he was gonna get back up. When he didn’t she sighed and turned to the lady on the ground. Her mascara was running down her face, and her hair was in disarray. She was in a short teal dress that hugged her body. She had a face that was naturally beautiful, but it was caked so many colorful layers of makeup. It made her look cheap.   
“You alright?”  
The girl nodded and unwisely swiped at her cheeks. She was shaking pretty bad and Vera extended a hand toward her. She took it and Vera helped her to her feet.  
“You hurt?” She asked. Another shake of head from the girl.  
“No just,” She sniffed noisily, “ Just bruised from the fall. I’ll be okay. Thank you so much. I didn’t even know him before tonight; he followed me back from the bar. I don’t know what I woulda done if you hadn’t come.”  
“You should be more careful.” Vera said shrugging off the praise. She looked down at the passed out man in the parking lot. “Ideas about what to do with that?”  
“His trucks over there.” Said the girl gesturing over to an obnoxiously large black truck.   
“Cool I’ll throw his ass in the bed. I’d suggest you not be here when he crawls out.” Vera said cinching Odyne around her waste. The girl nodded and looked eager to get out of there. Vera waved her away and she left, her black heels clicking noisily as she went to a room to clean out her stuff. Vera picked up the slumbering drunk fairly easily. He was big but she was strong. She laid him in the back of his truck and then headed back to her room. Not a heroic venture, but it kept the peace. Hopefully Sam was still asleep; he needed the peace. She was almost back to their room, when she saw dean leaning in his doorway watching her. She stopped and waited for what he had to say.  
“You handled that well.” He said to her and she smiled a bit, thinking maybe Sam was right about his brother.   
“Did I wake you?” She asked. He shook his head. “I guess most hunters don’t sleep that well.”  
He cleared his throat awkwardly, not knowing what to say. He was still watching Vera, trying to puzzle all the pieces together and see the big picture. There was something that had been bothering Vera so she decided to ask.  
“Dean?”  
“Yeah?”  
“What happened to Castiel? After the apocalypse I mean.” Dean sighed. Bobbing his head from side to side, contemplating whether or he could trust Vera with the truth.  
“Nothing.” He said seriously, looking her in the eye.  
“What?” Vera blinked at him.  
“He was fine, just like me and Sammy were fine. He had faced that archangel he said the only thing he think could have saved him was-”  
“God.” Vera finished for him. He nodded. “Cass is looking for him?” She guessed. He nodded again and his hand went up to his neck. He tried to pass the movement off by rubbing his neck, but Vera saw. “Your necklace?” She asked  
“Yeah uh, Cass said it was going to help him find god, so…” He shrugged his shoulders.  
“Do you think he’ll find him?” She asked, and Dean swayed some more as he tended to do when he was thinking.   
“I think, wherever god is… he’s not gonna make this his business. If he were going to wouldn’t he have done it already?” Vera nodded. “Only thing you can trust is family…” The last word caught in his throat. Vera gave a sad smile.  
“Yes, you can always count on family. Because even when everything’s coming down around you, at least you have someone to stand by you when it happens.” Dean nodded, going back to his shielded state. “You’ll fix things with Sam, cause this is an easy fix. The past can’t be changed, but even as hunters we all got a lot of future ahead, you hear?”  
He nodded to her. “Good night Dean. Go to sleep. I’ll watch over Sam, I promise.”  
“Thank you.”  
She smiled and went back to her and Sam’s room. The light of the TV bathed the room in harsh white light. It was just enough to make out the sight of Sam thrashing on his bed, eyes still firmly closed.


	4. Let Sam Sleep

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song below is Future by Paramore

“Sam!” Vera blurted out but he didn’t react to the sound. This must have been why he didn’t want to share a room with Dean. Vera turned on one of the bedside lamps. Sam was kicking and swinging his arms but he was still fully asleep. Vera grabbed a hold of his shoulder but he shook it off.

“Sam!” She tried again. Nothing. He thrashed at her every time she even touched him. He punched her in her side. “Fine.” She grumbled at him and climbed on top of him pinning down his arms. She straddled his legs and forced him down. “Sam!” She said as loud as she dared. This was clearly something Sam didn’t want Dean to know about. Sam gasped deeply and his eyes opened. Vera let out a breath of relief but didn’t yet ease up on her hold of him. Sam was still breathing hard.

“Vera? W-what? What happened?” He gasped as he recognized where he was and why he couldn’t move. She rolled off of him and stood by the bed.

“Some kick-ass nightmares.” She said giving him a half hearted glared and rubbing her abdomen where he hit her in his sleep.

“Did I hurt you?” He asked sitting up fast. There was such fear in his eyes, such remorse and fear; like he thought no matter what he did he was bound to bring people suffering. Vera shook her head at him.

“You were thrashing and I sorta walked into it. What were you dreaming about?”

He stayed quiet.

“Bad even by hunter’s status?”

“Yes.” He didn’t leave room for doubt.

“Was it real?” She asked as the though occurred to her. His amber eyes looked up into hers. _Yes._ That was a definite yes.

“Okay, Who was it?” She kept her voice level even though she felt panic flare in her chest.

“If you’re going to hunt with us, there are something’s you need to be caught up on-”

“Obviously.”

“-But, they’re for me _and_ Dean to decide to share.”

“So Dean knows about whatever just happened?”

“Yeah, well sorta. He knows what’s trying to get me. He just doesn’t know how frequent it’s gotten.”

“Okay. But we are going to let him know in the morning.”

“Dean, doesn’t need to-”

“I could let him know right now.” Sam sighed and fixed her with a look. _Hey this must be a real life bitch-face!_ Vera thought _Ugh, no wonder Dean hated them; they were damn effective._

“I’ll need to be filled in anyway, you said it yourself. He’ll want to know what brought this on.”

“Fine.” Sam slumped back on the bed. He still looked so completely exhausted.

“In the meantime you can try to go back to sleep. Dean’s only just now going to sleep. You’ve got at least another solid four hours, that’s gold for a hunter, no?” Sam shook his head. “You afraid it’s going to come back.” She didn’t really phrase it a question, but Sam made small nods anyway.

“Scoot over.” She demanded, and Sam suddenly looked taken aback.

“What?”

“Well I already know I’m not going to get any sleep after the whole drunken biker debacle and what Dean told me, and what you’ve told me…” Sam was giving her a _what-the-fuck?_  look and Vera put up her hand gave a slight shake of head. “I’ll explain in the morning. The point is I’ll stay up and wake you if you get thrashy again. Mmkay?”

“What if you can’t wake me?”

“I’ll wake Dean.” Sam didn’t look happy with that, so Vera added. “You can’t go forever without sleeping and you’re going to end up rooming with Dean or sleeping in the Impala again sometime soon.” He started to argue. “Sam, sleep.”

“Now I know why dean doesn’t like you.” He grumbled mobbing over to allow her space on the bed. Vera walked out of her boots and shed her jacket. She grabbed pillows from her bed and arranged them so that she could lean comfortably against the headboard next to Sam. The bed was a queen, Sam took up a lot of room but Vera was small so they actually fit well.

“I’m kind of a light sleeper.”

“Not in my experience.” Vera joked. Sam still looked uncomfortable.

“Relax dude. It’s not like I’m a clown.” She suppressed a laugh as ha shuddered.

“Stop that I can feel you laughing.” He scolded, but there was the barest hint of a smile there too.

“Sleep.” She commanded as she turned out the light. She felt Sam settle beside her, careful not to actually touch her. She rolled her eyes into the dark and leaned her head back. She let her body relax without drifting off to sleep, something she was actually quite used to at this point. She forgot it usually involves singing and humming until Sam spoke up.

“Are you humming?” He asked. She mouthed a curse word he couldn’t see.

“Sorry, it’s a habit I’ll stop.”

“No, it was fine I-, it sounded nice.” He said stupidly. Vera smiled and fell back into her humming until she recognized the song. She smiled at the lyrics and she sang softly into the dark:

 

_I'm writing the future,_

_I'm writing it out, loud._

_We don't talk about the past,_

_We don't talk about the past now._

_So, I'm writing the future,_

_I'm leaving a key here._

_Something won't always be missing,_

_You won't always feel emptier._

_Ah-ah, mm-mm,_

_Ah-ah-ah-ah, mm-mm._

_Just think of the future,_

_And think of your dreams._

_You'll get away from here,_

_You'll get away eventually._

_So, just think of the future,_

_Think of a new life._

_And don't get lost in the memories,_

_Keep your eyes on a new prize._

She faded back into humming and beside her she could hear Sam’s breathing level. She inched herself downward to lay her head on her pillows. Whenever she thought Sam was getting restless again she started to hum again, and he would mellow back out. She waited until the darkness faded into sun and she could once again see the outline of Sam’s face. She slipped quietly out of bed and went in search of coffee. Sam’s eyes opened as she closed the door behind her.


	5. Truths

 

“Morning.” Dean gruffly greeted Vera as she exited her hotel room. She looked like shit with bags under her eyes and her hair frizzing out in all directions, even secured in its band.

“Sleep well?” He asked sarcastically. She grunted in response.

“I need coffee.” She groaned.

“Sam up?” She shook her head, dug out some keys and handed them to Dean

“Wake him up if you want. You need anything?” She asked.

“Coffee would be awesome. We both take it black.” She nodded and walked off. Dean entered the hotel room and saw Sammy sitting up on his bed rubbing his eyes.

“Rise and shine Sammy!” Dean yelled and was surprised when his brother smiled at him.

“Would ya look at that, good night then Sammy?”

Sam nodded and stretched his back out. He'd really gotten some sleep. Best since... He couldn't even remember.

Dean looked over at the other bed, still perfectly made, a few pillows missing…And Sam's bed had extra.

“Better night than your letting on little bro?” Dean asked waggling his eyebrows at Sam with a big smile on his face. Sam followed his gaze and shot Dean a signature bitchface.

“Not like that Dean.”

“Mmhmm sure.” Dean smiled at him conspiratorially. No wonder Vera looked like she didn't get any sleep. She probably didn't.

“Why don't you ever believe me when I tell you the truth?” Sam asked laying back down on the bed, with his legs hanging over the side. _Because you always lying to me._ Thought Dean. Instead of saying this he just put up his hands in surrender.

“Anyway. I think we got a case.”

“Where?”

“El Paso. Got a call on dads cell. Old friend, I've never heard of him but in the message he left he sounded scared as shit.”

“Any idea what it is?”

“Said he thought it was a poltergeist.”

Sam nodded and Vera finally came back with coffee. Dean watched for any evidence that he was right about the night before. Sam seemed uncomfortable but Vera seemed normal. She handed them their cups then sat cross-legged on her bed and sipped her coffee. Dean still wasn't sure about her. Maybe she was a cool person but that didn't mean she'd be good on a hunt and Dean didn't need any more blood on his hands.

“What's up?” She asked.

“Possible case.” Sam told her before Dean could interject. As if sensing Dean's thoughts Vera fixed her gaze on Dean.

“What've we got?” She asked

“Possible poltergeist. Texas.” Sam said.

She sat up. “Well what are we waiting for?”

“Who said you’re coming?” Dean quipped.

“Who said you can get rid of me?” She countered.

“I don't trust you.”

“Ask anything you want. Test me anyway you need. I don't care. But for now, I'm staying so suck it up.” Her gray eyes relentlessly pinned him down.

“Fine.” He spat. “We should leave, we only paid for the night.” Vera and Sam nodded and Dean left to get his stuff. Vera stripped quickly and put on a pair of jeans. Sam cleared his throat awkwardly as she was buttoning her pants. Vera looked at him quizzically.

“What?” She asked

“Nothing.” He said still staring at her. She rolled her eyes, putting a gray shirt over her black bra.

“Sorry it just doesn't phase me anymore. After my times on the run,” She shrugged. “I'll have to get used to being around you boys. Might even make me back into a respectable woman.”

“Who kills demons in her free time?” Sam asked

“Gotta have a little fun every once in awhile.”

Sam grabbed up his clothes and headed for the bathroom. “It's fine, but I am not nearly that shameless.”

Vera chucked a pillow at him and he closed the door with a smirk and got changed. When he came out Vera was stuffing the rest of her stuff in a bag. She plopped it on top of the bed then fixed Sam with her gray eyes.

“You seemed like you slept well. We’re there anymore nightmares?”

Sam ran a hand through his hair. “Actually, no. So a thank you is in order. Dean thinks we slept together though, so I apologize for that.”

“Oh no, that sounds like it can be a lot of fun.” Smiling she picked up her bag and headed down to the Impala.

Sam huffed out a laugh and followed her down to return their room key.

 

* * *

 

 

Vera laid down in the backseat as they hit the road and she quickly fell asleep. Sam wasn’t all that surprised. She’d been tired since they pulled into the hotel yesterday and then because of Sam she didn’t sleep at all.

“I don’t want her on this hunt.”

“Dean-”

“No listen Sam, I’ve never hunted with her before. I don’t know if she can hold her own and we don’t need to watch any more friends, let alone hunters, die.” Sam wondered when Vera made the jump from possible threat to friend, but he didn’t say anything.

“So we can test her. I don’t think she’d mind she almost outright asked for it, we could put her through mini training or something. Just to make sure she can hold her own.”

“And if she can’t?”

“We put her on research?”

Dean nodded considering this.

“If we do decide she’s going to hunt with us, she’s going to need to know the truth. All of it.”

“You want to tell her about Michael and Lucifer?” Dean asked his eyebrows shooting upward.

“If she’s around us for long enough it’s not like she won’t find out. I think she needs to understand what she’s getting into.”

“Who said she’s gonna be with us that long.” Sam looked back at Vera sleeping and

Their ride faded back into silence. They ended up stopping somewhere in Oklahoma so Dean could sleep. Vera was up by then and they checked into another shabby motel.

“Want to share with your girl again?” Dean asked when Vera couldn’t hear.

“Why don’t you room with her?” Sam asked snatching a key as Dean’s smile turning into a scowl.

“What’s the deal?” Vera asked coming up to them.

“Your with Dean.” Sam said proudly. Vera nodded and looked at Dean who looked anything but happy.

“Aw cheer up there, I don’t bite… hard.” She smiled at him and when he turned and stormed off to their room she laughed quietly to herself.

“You gonna be all right tonight Sammy?” she asked.

“I got along before you came.”

“Barely, you looked like shit the other day.”

“Thanks.” Sam said. Cue bitchface.

“I’m honest. I like to think it is my best quality.” Said Vera unfazed. “I’ll see you in the morning.”

Vera entered her motel room and found that Dean had already claimed the bed closest to the door.

“Hey.” He said when she set her stuff down.

“Hi…” She replied suspiciously.

“Still up for getting to know each other?” He asked pulling out a giant bottle of Vodka.

“Only because you have such good taste in liquor.” She said and they sat on the floor between their beds. Dean poured them each a shot.

“Should we make it a game?”

“Yeah questions always make the getting to know you portion go much faster. We’ll take turns. You get a question each turn. If you don’t want an answer then you have to drink.” Vera nodded.

“Okay. But it sounds boring, new rule: You need to answer three questions before you drink.” Dean didn’t look happy about it but he agreed just the same.

“You start.” He told her.

“Alright but we should both take a shot just to get things rollin.” So they both took a shot.

“Okay, when was the first time you ever drank?” Dean scrunched up his face

“Thirteen? At least the hard stuff I’d probably had a beer before that. What’d you do after you killed your first demon?”

“I blew chunks and started to cry. My partner thought I’d gone mental.” She laughed woefully. “Maybe I had. What was your first monster?”

“Dad and I ganked a vengeful spirit in…New York? Yeah, New York. Fricken hate that city.”

“Why?”

“Too many people, so much noise.” He shook his head. “If I were ever going to live somewhere, it better be damn quiet. You ever been in love?”

“Ah back to the normal, intensely personal questions. Yes I have been in love. Who was your first love?”

“What’s with you and firsts?”

“They’re important.”

“Her name was Robin. I was sixteen. She was my first kiss and everything. Chocolate brown hair and beautiful blue eyes.”

“What happened?”

“She could live The Life with me, I couldn’t let her. What are you afraid of?”

“That’s a longer list than a hunter should have.”

“The one you can’t control then.”

“Atychiphobia.”

“Gesundheit?”

“It’s the fear of failure.”

“Oh. Well isn’t everyone afraid of that?” She shrugged

“If you had to be a monster, which would you choose?”

“Dead.”

“Nope you have to choose.”

“An angel then. They’re all a great big bag of dicks but at least they’ve got some power behind it. And I suppose you can choose to be something different, like Anna and Cass. Where was the first place you had sex?”

“Comic Con. Good times until security dropped down on us. Have you ever been with a guy?”

“Nope. You ever been with a chick?”

“I came close but I have high standards. You’ve never even liked a guy?” He gave her a look, a guilty look, and Vera had to suppress a smile.

He drank.

“Finally!” She cheered

“Alright, alright, alright. What’s the worst you’ve ever been hurt on a hunt?” Vera’s face darkened a little and she took a shot.

“What’s your favorite child hood memory?” She asked. He thought about it for a moment.

“Fourth of July one year, Dad was away and Sammy was so sad. I took him out and we lit fireworks together.” He smiled slightly before remembering where he was. “You speak any other languages?”

“English, Spanish, French and German.”

“Holy crap, why?” She laughed

“You get bored, it was something I’d always wanted to do anyway. What’s your favorite color?”

“Blue. Come on give me something better.” She just shrugged. “So you’ve read all about me and Sam, are we like you imagined?”

“Sam yes, you no.”

“Thanks.” He grumbled.

“Chuck makes you out different. The joker and the ladies man with a tortured soul. You are all that too, but that’s not all you are.”

“Than what am I?”

“A family man? A desperate one. A tortured soul yes, but it’s never made you weak. You’re a warrior. You’re a protector. You’ve done it for Sam all these years.”

“Are you afraid of me?”

“No, but not because I think there’s nothing to fear.” A silence followed with their eyes trained on one another. Vera took another shot just to keep it even.

“I’m tired.” Dean nodded.

“Rest, we’ll make it to Texas by tomorrow afternoon if we leave early. Vera quickly changed into some nightclothes. Dean didn’t seem as perturbed by it as Sam. She crawled under the blankets, her eyelids comfortably heavy with the alcohol.

“You’re gonna let me hunt right?”

“We’ll see.” Was the only reply.


	6. On the Job

They arrived in El Paso the following afternoon as Dean had said they would. Vera stepped out of the car and stretched her legs. She stretched out her arms popping her shoulders and then grabbed each wrist and popped it too. She might have to call shotgun next time, something about the back made Vera feel all cramped.

“So the call came in on your pops phone, safe to say this can be conducted with limited bullshit?”

“Most people don’t know about the full spectrum of the supernatural.” Said Dean. “He’s got Dad’s cell so he knows _something_ but that doesn’t mean he knows what the hell’s actually going on.”

“I looked up some stuff on the way over.” Said Sam. “I see why he thinks it our kind of business: Seven murders in the past two weeks, all in town, all untraceable. The cops are just scratching their Asses here. We’ll need access to better files to find a more profound pattern though.”

“What’s this guy’s name?”

“Joshua Vega.” She nodded in acceptance of the information and looked at hospital before her _, Las Palmas._ He apparently worked here as a nurse.

“Alright lets go talk to him.” The trio walked up to the information desk. The lady who looked up at them smiled.

“En que puede ayudarle?” She asked pleasantly. Vera found much joy in the panicked expressions of the brothers. She was positive this woman spoke English too but stepped in before they could reply. This way was more fun.

“Hola, si, Estamos buscando por un enfermera. Se llama Joshua Vega.” The lady nodded and typed a few words on her computer.

“Si, él trabaja en nivel siete. Solo tiene habla a la otra mesa allí.” Vera smiled at her.

“Muchas Gracias.” She turned the boys and by the looks on their faces she could tell they didn’t understand any of it. Probably just went by to fast. “Come on. Our mans on level seven.”

“I didn’t know you spoke Spanish.” Sam commented.

“And German, and French.” Dean told him happily. Sam gave him a surprised look.

“Fermme ta bouche.” The surprised look turned on her. The elevator dinged before Sam could ask a coherent question. Dean walked to the desk and this lady started in English, much to Dean’s relief. After a few minutes of waiting, a short man with dark tan shin and dark hair walked up to them.

“Hello you must be John’s kids.” He shook each of their hands in turn.

“I’m just a friend.” Vera said. He adopted an uneasy expression.

“But you now about the um, you know about.” He struggled to find a way to ask.

“The paranormal, yes.” She lowered her voice a little as she said it. This guy looked like he was apt to panic, so it was better to be safe than sorry.

“Ah, that’s good- well not good- not for you but-” Vera put up a hand to cut him off. And his shoulders eased with the comfort that he didn’t have to finish explaining that particular train of thought.

“What can you tell us about these murders?” Sam asked, taking Vera’s cue to lower his decibel.

“I work down in the ER sometimes, when they get short handed.” He explained. “I saw them bring in two of them, or what was left of two of them. They were all so mutilated it was a miracle that they were still alive. It looked like something had wanted them to suffer. It was on two separate occasions. The first time, I simply prayed to my lord that to protect us from evil. I had thought it was an anomaly. Then I saw the second one and I went to talk to the cop that brought him in. I heard about the others, even worse than what they brought us before. It looks like they were tortured until they died, but the estimated times of their deaths conflict with witness reports. There wasn’t the time for that level of torture to have happened. And they have the best cops working this case; they can’t find a trace of a killer.” He wrung his hands nervously. “The only other time I had heard of something this evil it when the poltergeist came after my family. I didn’t feel like I could do anything, but I also didn’t feel like I should do nothing. Calling John was all I could think to do, I hope you can help us.” Vera felt her heart twinge a because he looked so utterly distraught.

“We’ll do a little digging, see what we can find out. We’ll let you know if this is our thing or not.” Dean said standing.

“Where’s the police station?”

 

* * *

 

Sam decided to hit the library for research and let Dean and Vera go to the station. They checked into a hotel that was a lot nicer than they were used to. Also more expensive, they only got one room but it had a couch. Vera donned her black pencil skirt and jacket, plain white blouse underneath, and found her all black spool heels. They weren’t all that professional but among men, nobody was going to notice. She pulled her hair back and twisted it into a bun. She and Dean, now also appropriately dressed, left for the station. He was pretty impressed that she already had her own badge. She had told him that in the group she had joined up with, one of them actually had a hunter mentor. He showed him the ropes and then it was passed on to the rest of them.

Once they got to the station Dean and Vera flashed their badges and got in to meet with the head of the investigation. He was a balding middle-aged man, far heavier than any active cop should be and he simply radiated hostility. He was _disinclined_ to let them view any of the case files, because they “Had it under control.”  Dean was trying to get on his good side but it didn’t appear that he had one. They had to have been there for a good forty minutes before Vera decided enough was enough. Besides Dean looked like he was going to throw a punch.

“Look here’s the deal.” Said Vera straightening her coat in a very irked manner. She was done with this mans crap. “It’s not that we don’t have the faith in your department, I’m sure you could handle the investigation without assistance, however this particular murder spree set off flags in our database so they sent me and my partner out the take over the case and to keep it under wraps and under control. You don’t have to like, but one of two things are going to happen. One, you can refuse to give aid to _our_ investigation, I will call our superior and you can have a chat with him which could quite possibly demote your rank to something even lower than you already are, if not blow it out of the water entirely. Two, you can give us a copy of every file included in this investigating and we can have it arranged so that your investigation and ours remain separate and continue with out interference.” She leaned back in her seat and enunciated her last few words separately. “Do I make myself clear?” She had on a face that very clearly communicated _now-is-not-the-time-to-fuck-with-me._ Dean was hunched in his chair trying very hard not to laugh and hide his smile.

Officer dipshit decided to hand over the files.

“Have an excellent day.” Vera couldn’t help but add as she and Dean left the office. The officer turned beet red and it looked like his head might explode and it got worse with every clack of Vera’s heels. She held it together until she got into the impala and then she just started to laugh. Dean was laughing with her and it continued until the both ran out of breath and they pulled away from the station.

“Oh my god.” Dean finally chuckled out. “I have never heard a ‘Fuck you’ quite that sophisticated before.”

“One of my very special talents.” She quipped at him. They were still in good spirits when they came back to the hotel. Sam was there at the kitchen table (Because this room even had a fully functional kitchen), doing research. He looked up when they entered. Vera set the files down on the table and was about to give Sam the run down on what they found when Dean jumped in first.

“Sam you should have been there! The chief officer was a complete tool and he wasn’t gonna share the files and Vera sorta tore him a new one. It was the greatest thing I’ve seen in a while.” He said twisting the top on a bottle of beer. He handed one to Vera too and took a seat next to Sam. Vera gave a small smile and looked at Sam.

“The vic’s are like you said, all males in their mid 20’s. Like our friend said they all died pretty gruesomely. Not animalistic, and no distinguishable symbols or markings and all very messy. It rules out a lot but not enough to really know what it is.” She finished turning the file around for him to see.

“Joshua could be right.” He commented flipping through the reports. “Could also be demons. We should talk to their families and see if there are any personalities trends.”

“Then we’ll know if it’s a spirit.” She finished. “You and Dean do that in the morning and I’ll go talk with their scientist, make sure he didn’t find anything weird on the scenes like sulfur.” Sam nodded in agreement.

“Wow.” Dean said. “I’m only used to their being one Dumbledork.”

“You can’t bash a nerd with geek speak.” Vera said. “It’s like trying to put out a fire with liquor.” Sam laughed loudly and Dean sighed in exasperation.

“You two brains.” He groaned.

“I had been thinking them same about you two trouble makers.” Sam commented. Vera downed the rest of her beer. They had hit the station just before it was about to close and it was a bit of a trek across town to their hotel. Now it was already near midnight.

“Better catch some shut eye. Looks like we have a busy day planned.”

“Ugh first person up better go get us some damn coffee!” Dean said flopping down on a bed. He had been driving all day and he was exhausted. Vera smiled and got up to grab some blankets for the couch.

“I’ll take to couch.” Sam said.

“But you won’t fit.” Vera said sweetly, laying out her sheets and her blanket, grabbing a pillow from Sam’s bed and settling down. She could here Sam chuckle softly in acceptance as he turned out the light.   



	7. Spirits & Demons

Vera was indeed the first one to wake. Their room had a coffee maker and she decided to use it instead of going out to get coffee. She felt real guilty though when it sounded loudly after the coffee had brewed. Both boys were quick to wake after that. Maybe Sam faster than Dean.

“I swear to fucking God that was not even four hours.” Dean groaned, aggressively pouring himself coffee and sloshing it all over the counter. Vera Calmly cleaned up the mess and kept her mouth shut even though she knew he’d already slept six hours. Sleep didn’t always mean peace.

“We need to get on the victims families.” Sam said pausing to yawn.

“Agreed.” Said Vera.

Dean groaned sitting at the table laying his head on his arms.

“Fine.” Said Vera. “The Science labs that work with the PD don’t open for a few hours anyway. Me and Sam will talk to the families and you can sleep in and then go check for anomalies on the scene that the officers wouldn’t have recognized.”

“I changed my mind about you.” He said groggily waving a finger in Vera’s direction. “You’ll be a fine edition to our team.” Sam shook his head in exasperation.

“Come on lets get going. The first victim’s fiancée has got an early job at a local bookstore & café.”

“My two favorite shops.” Vera said happily getting up to don another FBI undercover outfit.

 

They arrived at Stacie’s Book and Brew with the sun just working it’s way over the horizon. They went around back because the shop didn’t actually open for an hour or so. They found a younger boy moving boxes through the open back door.

“Can I help you?” He asked.

“Yeah can you tell us where to find Stacie Vautin?” Sam asked him.

“That’s me.” Said a woman coming out of the back door. She was tall with straight black hair and bangs. She had on plain clothes, her hair was drawn back and she seemed slightly out of breath; all signs of a hard-working woman. “It’s okay Mikey, go on in and unload the new books.” The little boy got up and did as Stacie asked. “What can I do for you guys?” She asked.

“Were with the FBI.” Sam said and Vera took the cue and took out her badge. “We were hoping we could have a minute of your time to talk to you about your fiancé Aaron Parker?” Stacie’s face fell.

“I guess. I just gotta get the rest of these boxes in and then we can sit and have a chat. Mikey!” The boy reappeared in the doorway. “Can you take out friends to the coffee bar for me?” He nodded and gestured for Sam and Vera to follow him. He led them through the back and then into the shop. All the walls we lined with books and there were tables and chairs dispersed throughout. The boy led them over to a table staring at his shoes the whole time.

“Is there anything I can get for you?” He asked shyly. Vera looked at the walls.

“How bout a recommendation?” She said. The boys face lit up.

“The newest Percy Jackson came out this year. It one of my favorite series.”

“Really? Me too.” Vera said and smiled at the boys look of excitement.

“Did you read the last one?”

“Not yet had the pleasure.” She said.

“I have three copies.” He said proudly. “One of my paperbacks is really beat up cause I read it so much, but you can have it if you want.”

“That’d be really generous of you.” He looked shy and then ran off to get it. Stacie came in finally and sat down with them.

“I hope Mikey didn’t give you guys any trouble.”

“Not at all.” Said Sam. “He’s a cute kid.”

“How old is he?” Vera asked.

“Eleven in three months, Aaron and I had him when we were just teenagers.”

“That’s a long time for you guys to be together.” Said Sam.

“Yeah, it’s a rough ride. We sure did have our problems. I still can’t believe he’s gone though.”

“What kind of problems, would you say?”

“The normal arguments. We’d fight about just about anything. My moms said we’d fight over the oxygen molecules in the air if we could see ‘em. It got worse and worse. We’ve been engaged for six years. We kept pushing it back but I don’t think either of us was ready to get married. I think he even started to cheat on me toward the end. We only tried to make it work because of Mikey.”

“Did he have any other bad habits?” Vera asked. “Drinking? Gambling? That kind of thing?”

“Oh he was an alcoholic. He’d been in and out of rehab a few times. How is this relevant to the way he died?”

“With think the killer may have been targeting a specific personality type.”

“Ah well he drank himself stupid at his favorite bar and fell into any arms he could at the local whore house.”

“Which would that be?”

“I don’t know the name.”

“The bar then.”

“Something Sour.” And indeed her face did look as if she had tasted something sour.

A moment later Mikey came back into the room holding a battered copy of _The Last Olympian._ He put it on the table by Vera and then went to stand behind his mother.

“Thank you.” Vera said pleasantly.

“Is there anything else you need to know? I’ve got to get the shop ready to open”

“I think that just about does it. Thank you.” They shook hands and Vera and Sam moved onto the next person on the list. When they got in the car Sam called Dean to make sure he went down to the labs.

“Who’s next?” Vera asked.

“Janet and Henry Lockhart, They were close friends of Warren Carr.” Vera sighed.

“How many vics are there?”

“Seven.”

 

Vera and Sam had just finished up interviewing Marty Nessen, who was the brother of the most recent vic Stuart Nesson. Marty had started to bawl after he told them about Stuart’s trips to jail, the most recent of which being just before his death. They had to suffer through the rest of their questions while Marty sobbed. They were finally free and they all but ran from the house. Sam and Vera got into the car and sat for a moment in stunned silence.

“Wow.”

“Yeah”

“I mean Wow.”

“Uh huh.”

“How can one man cry that much?” She asked.

“I really don’t know.”

“So many tears.”

“So many tears.” He agreed.

Sam started to drive back to the motel when his phone started to ring. Vera picked it and, upon seeing it was Dean, answered.

“Hey.”

“Vera?”

“Who else?”

“Well I thought I called Sam.”

“He’s driving.”

“Are you kidding me?” He practically yelled. Vera smiled and Sam laughed.

“At least we’re not going to die in a fiery car crash.” She defended.

“Whatever.” Dean sounded like he was shaking his head. “So get this, at every crime scene there have been traces of Sulfur, however miniscule.”

“So it is demons?”

“I’m thinking so. Now all we gotta do is find out where the damned thing is hiding.”

“We think all the vics might have frequented the same bar, Something Sour.”

“Never heard of it.”

“We’ve got an address. Meet us at the hotel and we’ll go check it out.”

“Alright bye.” He hung up

“So demons?” Sam asked.

“There was sulfur. We’re gonna meet Dean back at the hotel and go check out Something Sour.”

“You ready for more Demons?” Sam asked.

“You bet.” She said without enthusiasm stroking the tender scar on her belly.

“You don’t have to come you know.”

“Yeah.” She said resting her arm on the window. “You keep on telling yourself that.”

 

As soon as they got to the motel Vera changed for a demon hunt. She put on a regular black skirt and slipped her devils trap skirt on under it. She had on a purple tank top and a jean jacket too trying to dress down her skirts. She put on thick metal jewelry that were made salted iron and slipped three flasks of holy water into her purse. She pinned up part of her hair with the palo santo. She put on her boot because they had protection runes carved into the soles.

When Vera emerged from the bathroom Sam was surprised to see her new outfit. He wasn’t quite sure what he expected but it wasn’t this. She looked indefinable. Her skirt was very refined. Then with the boots and jean jacket it made her very punk rock, but her hair and beaten metal bangles made her look very artsy. She had Odyne cinched at her waist, which made her look like a hunter. Her face was clear of make up and that just made her look beautiful. Sam realized he was staring at her and shook himself out of it.

“What’s wrong?” She asked looking down at herself, having noticed him staring.

“Nothing.” He forced his mouth to say. “I didn’t expect this when you said you needed to get ready for the hunt.”  She laughed heartily pushing some hair back behind her ears. Sam noticed each one was pierced four times. Three were helix, along the side and had little silver (Or more likely iron) hoops through them. One was on the lobe and she had mini pentagram earrings on. She had been about to explain more of her attire but Dean walked in just then.

“Ready to go?”

“Yep.” Vera said smiling. And the three of them headed for Something Sour.


	8. Something Sour

“We should split up.” Said Dean “Find anything suspicious okay?” Vera and Sam nodded.

They entered Something Sour, and Vera did her best not to wrinkle her nose. This was definitely a bar where people went to get trashed, not just have a few drinks. Actually it was more of a club than a bar. The palace was lit in blue and green neon lights and Vera was grateful she wasn’t wearing white. There were people dancing and all in all it was a stones throw away from a strip club. She made her way over to the bar and sat at an open stool. She saw Dean quickly cozy up to a girl dancing and Sam try to get in with a group of guys staying in the shadows. The bartender came up to her just then.

“What can I get for you?” Vera smiled at him laying on the charm.

“Something strong and some company if you don’t mind.” Whenever she was trying to be sweet she got a bit of a southern accent. But he just smiled at her and poured her a shot.

“I’m Devin.”

“Names Anna.” She said picking a name at random.

“What brings you here Anna?” He asked leaning on the bar.

“Hear it’s a good crowd.” She said taking the shot. “Did I hear wrong.”

“You sure did.” She raised a brow at him. “Not a lot of ‘good’ people coming in if that’s whatcha mean.” He said with a smirk. _What a tool._ Vera thought.

“You sayin’ they come _in_ or they don’t come _out?_ ” She asked with a tilt of her head.

“Well I guess you came in,” He said, as he appeared to ponder her question. “We’ll see how you leave.” He said and Vera raised her eyebrows.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Well look at you.” He said somewhat embarrassed. “Your awfully cute. Kinda innocent?” he ended it in a question as he saw the look Vera was giving him.

“Don’t worry hon. I can take care of myself.”

“Well what do I know? I haven’t been here all that long.”

“How long?” Vera asked.

“Tonight’s my first night, but I used to come here before they gave me the job.” There were other people down the bar who wanted drinks and he had to go down and serve them. She turned to look around but found her path blocked by another guy. He was tall and not unattractive but the hungry gaze he was giving her made her stomach churn. Suddenly she missed Devin.

“Hey there sweetheart.” He said. “My names Carter.”

“Well mine ain’t sweetheart.” She said turning away from him. He waved over another bartender, a woman this time. “Whatever she wants, on me.” The lady turned to Vera. Vera chose one of the specials board.

“Peligroso Sangre.” It had tequila in it. Yay.

“So do I get a real name or do I have to keep calling you sweetheart, sweetheart?” She was starting to hate that word.

“You don’t gotta call me anything at all.” He huffed out a laugh.

“Sweethea-“

“Anna.” She snapped at him.

“Anna,” He smiled clearly satisfied with himself. He moved closer and Vera wanted to puke. The bartender put the drink in front of Vera, and she took an unnecessarily large sip.

“What do you say we get out of here?” Carter slurred in her ear. Vera put a hand on his chest and pushed him away.

“In your dreams sleaze.” She said standing. He grabbed onto her arm tight and stood fast, knocking the contents of Vera’s drink all over her.

“I’ll only _ask_ once.” He said. Vera kicked him in the shin and then elbowed him in the stomach but it was unnerving how much he expected that.

“Hey!” That was the bartender. Vera looked up and saw her holding a shot gun and it was trained on Carter. He let go of her arm.

“Get out.” She said. He left grudgingly. No one seemed to notice what had happened.

“Normal occurrence round here?” Vera asked watching her assailant leave. The bartender stowed the rifle and shrugged.

“Come on, there’s a place round back where we can get you cleaned up.” She said gesturing to Vera’s soiled clothing.

Vera followed her warily, looking around trying to make sure one of the boys saw her. She couldn’t find either of them.

She led her to a bathroom toward the back of the bar. They were the only two occupants. Vera shrugged off her jean jacket and dampened a towel to dab the stickiness of the drink off her skin. It was in her hair too, ugh.

“I appreciate the help back there.” She said. “I’m Anna.” She added because that seemed to be a trend. All the people she ever rescued would introduce themselves too.

“Carla. Don’t think nothing of it.” Carla was pretty, if not extremely pale. She had on a whole lot of dark make up that went with her dark hair.

“What made you work in a place like this?” Vera asked. Turning toward the sink, watching Carla in the mirror.

“Money ain’t bad and _usually_ the people aren’t either.”

“Still gotta be hard.” Vera said conversationally.

“Well we do get pretty girls like you every now and then.” Cocking her hair to the side.

“Sounds boring.” Vera said without heart. Carla reached up the push back her hair and Vera noticed black lines along the insides of her arms.

“What happened there?” Vera said catching Carla’s arm before she could lower it again. Carla didn’t seem perturbed though and alarm bells were going off in Vera’s head.

“Sometimes this body just won’t do.” Carla said leaning her head in closer. “Just a side effect of my truer nature.”

“Yeah, what would that be?” Vera said, losing all pretenses of sweetness and preparing for a fight. She reached back to grab a flask of holy water from her purse.

“Let me show you.” Carla said happily and Vera was not prepared when the woman opened her mouth and the black smoke came surging out. She was even less prepared for it to shove itself down her throat.

It felt about as unpleasant as it sounds and then some. Vera was choking but she had lost the ability to exhale. Not through her mouth and not through her nose either. She felt the demon settle inside her pushing her aside and taking control. It felt something like putting cotton into your mouth, except this was of the mind and soul. It was also just worse in general. Vera watched as the former body of the demon fell to the floor. She must have already been dead. Vera willed herself to calm down and stay aware of her mind and the power she still held over her body. Sadly that was not much.

The demon hissed and pulled out all of Vera’s earring and her bracelets too. _That’s right bitch,_ thought Vera, _all iron._ She fixed Vera’s hair over her ears and looked with Vera’s eyes at Vera’s body. She smiled and frowned and made many other facial expressions. The fact that Vera was seeing her own face and yet was not controlling it was disturbing. She let her feeling of disgust and contempt surround her real consciousness, putting a layer between Vera and Carla.

**_Oh honey, it’ll be more fun if you don’t fight me._ **

_Go back to hell_

Vera heard the demon laugh and then felt pangs of numbness in her mind as the demon picked at her mind. She quickly buried and protected thoughts of Sam and Dean and most of her time as a hunter. Luckily all she said was:

“Your name’s not Anna.” She shrugged and laughed, twirling so that Vera’s skirts spun. Vera wondered when Carla was going to realize she couldn’t get out of this body because of the skirt. Another thought to bury. She hoped Sam or Dean knew her well enough to realize that this wasn’t her. “I love this body!” Carla exclaimed looking into the mirror so that Vera knew she was talking to her. Vera tried lashing out at the Demon from the inside and Carla shuddered. “Relax will ya? Lets go have some fun.”

She unlocked the bathroom door, (funny Vera hadn’t seen her lock it.) and rejoined the throng of people in the bar. She was swinging Vera’s hips way more than necessary and she smiled at every guy who looked at her. Vera thought it was safe to say who had been killing those men. And it wasn’t because they were bad men, the whole place attracted bad men; it was because they were pretty to her. Vera noticed Sam coming up to her before Carla did. She felt panic flare but she forced herself to quench it, not wanting to alert Carla to his presence. _As if she doesn’t know who Sam and Dean fricken Winchester are. Come on Sam you’ve gotta help me._

 ** _OoO_** the demon trilled in her mind, **_you know that big lug don’t you? Let’s go say hi._**

 _Stay away from him bitch._ Vera couldn’t stop herself from replying.

“Vera.” Sam said coming up to them.

“Hey where’ve you been?”

“I was going to ask you the same thing I can’t find Dean either.” Then it clicked with the demon.

“Sam?” She asked in shock. It was the “Sam? As in Winchester?” awed look and tone that Vera had used when she met Dean. _Shit._

“What?” asked Sam in confusion and suspicion. _It’s not me Sam it’s not me!_ Vera chanted.

“Lets dance!” Carla declared abruptly. She took his hand and led him out to the where the others were dancing. She pulled her and Sam close together and started dancing around him. If Vera were in control of her body she would have ben blushing out of fury/shame.

“Vera!” Sam protested, removing Carla/Vera’s wandering hands.

“Don’t be like that.” Carla pouted. She had backed him into a corner, literally. She pressed her/Vera’s mouth against his. Vera didn’t understand how she had managed that; Sam was like 6”6 and Vera was 5”2. All it was quite overwhelming and it was made worse by the fact that Carla had pulled her far enough back to the surface so that she could feel it but couldn’t do a damn thing about it. _It’s not me Sam it’s not me!_

Sam grabbed at the side of Vera face and pushed himself away from her.

_It’s not me Sam._

He gaze fixated on the side of her face for a moment. On her ears… the iron! _Come on Sam!_

His eyes flicked to her throat and then down to her wrists.

If Vera had control of her body she would have been holding her breath.

Sam smiled pulling Vera back to him and kissing her head.

“Not here, Dean’s around somewhere and I thought we agreed we still don’t want him to know. We’re working a case right now but later…” He kissed her again. “I’m gonna go find Dean.”

The demon laughed inside of her

**_My my little hunter. You’ve been busy._ **

_I’m going to kill you._

* * *

 

Sam found Dean walking up to him, surprisingly lacking his latest lady friend.

“Hey man, where the hell have you been?” Sam shook his head putting up his hand.

“Bigger problems, I think Vera’s possessed.”

“That would explain the body I found. And this.” Dean held up Vera’s purse. “Three flasks of holy water and I found her jewelry scattered all over the floor.

“It’s all iron, I saw where it burned her.” Dean processed that.

“You have to be pretty close to be sure.”

“Yeah.”

“She make a move on you?” Dean asked smiling.

“No, but that demon bitch stuck her tongue down my throat.” He snapped and under his breath added, “I guess that have a taste for their own blood.

“Okay okay, so what are we gonna do?”

“Get her out of here, we can take care of it back at the hotel.”

“Alright lets find her. Does the demon suspect anything?”

“Probably.” Sam said. He had a bad feeling in his stomach. Maybe Dean was right they shouldn’t have let Vera hunt with them. Well it was to late for that now, and he had to hope now that they could save her.


	9. The Beauty of Self Preservation

Chapter 9: The Beauty of Self-Preservation

“Vera!” Sam called to her from where she stood dancing in the middle of the floor. He was internally cringing. He didn’t want to call her that. This was not Vera.

She turned to Sam with a smile on her face. It may have been Vera’s body, but the demon held it differently. Vera held herself tall, just at her height where she truly was. The demon seemed to be trying to stretch up higher. She walked clumsily in Vera’s boots, and didn’t know how to control Vera’s mane of hair either. This definitely was not Vera.

Sam pulled her close and whispered in the thing’s ear.

“Dean says he staying. They found a body it doesn’t fit the pattern. He wants to stay and check it out. I told him you and me would go home and get back to the hotel to research.” He smiled at her. “What do you say?” She smiled in a way that scrunched her nose and she let out a high-pitched laugh. She pulled him close, with her hands all over him.

“Love to” She said into his ear and nipped at the lobe. Sam was disgusted but he tried not to let it show. He wanted this demon bitch to die for taking his friend.

 _What are you up to Sam?_ Vera thought watching from the inside. Then Carla stabbed at her essence again. Looking for answers. Vera wasn’t going to give them up though, not by a long shot. She tried to imagine, to conjure a fake relationship with Sam and feed the demon the false memories. Nothing important, just the trivial things like eating together and hunting together, Vera was surprised it wasn’t actually all that hard to imagine.

 ** _Ugh, you are uuusseless._** The demon whined in her mind. **_I’ll be better off doing things myself. So maybe I will._**

Suddenly it was as if Vera were in water and a 50 pound weight was being added to her ankles every second until she was dragged into darkness. She could still think but it was about as useful as screaming at a wall. She felt like she had just been tossed in a dungeon because while it might have been her imagination, she thought she could hear the vibrations of Carla laughing somewhere high above her head. _Come on boys. Get her out of here… or at the very least don’t let her (us) breathe long._

* * *

 

“I’m gonna grab some things from the trunk,” Sam said tossing Vera the keys to the motel. “I’ll be right behind you.” He gave her a smile. Vera would’ve known it as fake but that the demon just returned it broadly. He walked behind her up the stairs and his hands started to twitch in anticipation. He didn’t know what he would have to do and he was pretty sure he could never bring himself to hurt Vera. The demon turned the key­– Sam briefly closed his eyes to calm himself still not wanting to give anything away­– she pushed open the door. Their hotel room was dark.

 _‘In the kitchen of your room, I’ll paint the trap.’_ Dean had said, _‘We’ll knock her into it and then we can exorcise what’s inside. I’ll make sure you can see it right when you walk in.’_

Kitchen. Right. Vera flicked on the light and they were lucky the arrangement of their hotel rooms blocked the kitchen from view.

“You want to get us some drinks?” his voice was even, just as he had expected it to be. You aren’t raised a hunter if you don’t know how to repress panic, anxiety, and fear.

“What are you gonna do?” The demon drawled turning to wrap her arms around Sam’s neck. He had to hunch so that she could do so. He schooled his features into a smile. As she leaned in for yet another kiss Sam leaned back, passing it off as a teasing gesture and not disgust.

“What do you think?” He said as if the answer was obvious and it was something they had done plenty of times before. She gave a shrill giggle and turned to the kitchen. Sam followed her as quietly as he could.

As she reached the kitchen and turned on the light Dean lunged out to grab her. Sam’s eyes were drawn first to the red devils trap on the floor of the kitchen and then to his friend/demon and brother wrestling. _Shit,_ his mind helpfully provided before he made a move to help. Dean had twisted Vera out of his arms and flung her toward the devils trap. Sam thought she was going to land in it for sure but she missed it just barely. The demon rolled to its feet and grabbed a knife. Unafraid, the Winchesters surged forward.

“WAIT!” she screeched.

It made the brothers falter and the watched in horror as the demon turned the kitchen blade unto Veras’ chest.

“Let me go.” She said.

“Get a new body!” Dean shouted at her. The demon smiled wickedly.

“But I like this body! She sooo strong. She won’t start to burn for at least a month, the other would go down to ash in weeks.” She laughed at their angry and contorted features.

“Exorcizamus te, omnis­–” The demon threw him back into the wall. Sam made to grab at the demon but she moved the blade from her stomach to her throat and he stopped again. _Fuck._

“Besides, I think this ones a good bargaining chip. Look how much he cares.” She said with a pout of her lips to no one in particular. The bloodthirsty look the demon made on Vera’s face was disturbing.

“Say yes to Lucifer and I will leave her.” The demon said happy and confident. Sam would never say yes to the devil. Regardless of what anyone said or did Sam was never going to say yes. He would not be the evil he was born to be. He refused. But still, there was Vera and he couldn’t well let her die.

But then, the demon didn’t know that.

“If that is the only way you’ll leave then we’ve no other choice.” Sam said, and slowly her brought out ruby’s knife. The demons eyes widened at the sight of it.

“You wouldn’t kill her!” The demon accused desperately.

“No, but you would and if she’s going to die I’m going to make sure your right there with her.” He said coldly. Through Vera’s eyes he could see the demon start to panic. She opened her mouth to smoke out and Sam tensed.

But there was no smoke.

“What’s happening?” She tried again, “What’s happening!” she screeched.

“No escape without Vera. As soon as she lets you out leave and I promise we won’t hunt you down. At least not today.” Luckily demons were always a self-centered bunch.

**_Wake up! Let me out of here!_ **

_Thought you didn’t need me._ Vera quipped, never really ‘asleep.’ As soon as vera herd her speak Vera was wrenched back to her body. At first everything was too bright. Then too colorful. It took almost a whole moment before Vera was completely back in control of herself. She realized she was on the ground and that a familiar voice was calling her name.

She looked up into Sam’s concerned face and the Dean’s right beside it.

“Is it out?” Dean asked.

“It couldn’t get out. Said it would once she could though.”

“Why can’t it get out?” Dean directed at Vera. She tried to compose her thoughts not understanding at first but then it came to her. The skirt.

“She’ll leave when she can right?” Vera asked looking at Sam. He nodded she stood and twisted her skirt around until the zipper was in reach. As she broke the trap the demon came thundering out and she had to clench her hand around the fabric to keep her skirt from falling embarrassingly. When the smoke had receded the kitchen was quite. Vera righted her skirt and slumped against the refrigerator, Dean and Sam still kneeling beside her.

“What was that?” Dean finally asked, having the least patience out of the three.

Vera flipped up the hem of he skirt to show him the white lines that formed the runes beneath.

“Devils trap skirt. Tada.” She said without enthusiasm. Her body was aching and her mind was still reeling. She was breathing heavily and didn’t quite understand why.

“Well,” said Dean getting to his feet, “I’m going to bed. We’ll figure out what to do in the morning,” he looked Vera in the eye “ _after_ the tattoo parlor.”

“Anti-possession rune?” Vera asked. The brothers nodded. “Okay” she murmured back.” Dean left the kitchen and went for the shower before the bed.

“Come on,” Sam said putting an arm around Vera. “I’m going to get you an anti-possession charm for the night and the _I’ll_ take the couch.” Vera was going to protest but her mouth didn’t form the words. Sam slipped a necklace around her neck and put her into his bed. Vera slipped of to sleep quickly between the soft sheets that still smelled of Sam.


	10. The Scars We Carry

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They boys get to know Vera's Backstory

“I think left shoulder blade.” Vera said nodding and glancing at Dean. He smiled at her and nodded his approval.

“Why not put it on you collar like us?” Sam asked.

“I don’t have enough skin for it to be there and easy to cover up.” She said.

“You gonna get in a color?” Dean mocked elbowing Vera. She elbowed him back and play smacked his head.

“Ain’t nothing wrong with black.” She said. A lady came to usher her toward the chair for her tattoo. The boys followed her back. She opened he mouth to protest but Sam said, “We need to make sure she draws it right. If they do it wrong its not gonna work and we’re going to make you get a new one and then people are going to think you're just a satanic worshipper.” He finished plopping himself down in a chair next to where Vera was supposed to lay down.

“Imma draw it just as you drew it.” Said the woman who was going to do her tattoo. She was giving them all suspicious eye but it seemed to be her default setting and not the fault of the unusual trio. “Don’t insult me boy.” She gave Sam a glare.

“Go wait outside.” Vera told them. She pulled Sam out of the chair as he protested and gave him and Dean both a shove out of the room. As the left she felt relief sweep through her.

“Where do you want it?”  The woman asked. Vera told her.

“Alright take off your shirt then.”

Vera pulled her shirt over her head and winced as she heard the woman gasp. She lay down as if she didn’t know what was wrong.

“I figured there’d only be room for it on the left.” She said lightly. She remembered how the deep gashes laced her back. Four parallel lines curving down from her right shoulder, four more on the left that were lower moving straight down, and chaotic scrapes everywhere in between. Some scars were thicker and rounder where the doctors had had to cut in to prevent the wounds from getting worse. They were disgusting reminders of a sickening day…

_There was a red slime on Vera’s skin. It wasn’t her blood. It wasn’t her blood. The beast howled. Vera’s couldn’t move. Those blue eyes were paralyzing her. So familiar but lacking the light that made them hers. There was only one thought she could process and it didn’t help: She had trusted me._

“What leaves scars like that?”

“A sickly beast.”

“What kind.”

“The dead kind.” The woman gave her a startled look and Vera gave her a tight-lipped mocking smile.

Getting a tattoo was much quieter than she had anticipated.

 

* * *

 

“How’s it look?” They asked when she came out.

“Like it did when you drew it.” She replied tersely.

“Come on! You gotta show us.” Vera put on her jacket.

“No I don’t. Let’s go back to the hotel.” Their drive back was spent arguing about the tattoo and when they arrived at the hotel nothing had changed.

“Then how do we even know you got one?”

“Because you can trust me.” She handed Sam back the amulet she had taken off after she had looked in the mirror and saw her completed tattoo. He looked at the amulet and passed it to Dean. They shared a significant look and Vera reacted to late. They had her pinned against the wall in a moment. Dean pulled out a flask of holy water and splashed it in her face. She spit the water back at them and fixed them both with a chilling glare.

“Sorry.”

“Oh bull just let me go.” They did.

“Why can’t we see it then?”

“Fine.” Vera said taking off her jacket. “Look then.”

Sam swept the thick curtain of her hair aside to see her left shoulder. “She did it right.” He mumbled and then trailed off as he saw what Vera had tried to keep hidden. Dean gave an “oh shit.” Vera pulled back as Sam’s fingers touched the nearest scar.

“What did this to you?” Sam’s had a sharp edge as if he were holding down anger or sorrow, or both. She turned around so neither boy could see them any more.

“Just a hunt gone wrong back when I was new and stupid.” The memories brought tears to her eyes but she fought them back.

“What happened?”

Memories flooded her mind and she was suddenly very far away from their hotel room.

_She was on her knees in the mud. Lifeless blue eyes filled her vision; filled her world. She was screaming and crying and it had felt like the sky was falling down around her._

“Vera.” She inhaled sharply and refocused on Sam. Swallowing she began to speak and her tongue moved heavy and slow like her mouth was still full of blood.

“Werewolves. I was with that group of hunters I told you about.” She sat down knowing this was going to turn into a story. “There were five of us: me, Peter, Connor, Riley and Erika. And old hunter put us together. Her name was Linda. Linda never really gave a shit. She just wanted the orphans and wanderers out of her hair and she probably lumped us together to save our consciousness She said we were all too stubborn headed to get out and our chances of survival were higher together. It was a load of crap. I mean we all got along just fine– Erika was the best friend I ever had– but, Riley she was just so reckless and Connor always went along with what she did. We were hunting a werewolf that had killed Peter’s mom and that’s when things really got out of hand…”

* * *

_Riley slammed the door behind her and threw her weight against it as if keeping it shut but no one was in pursuit. She and Chris were breathing heavily. Riley’s face broke into a smile and Connor returned it. Vera looked at Erika and her blue eyes were wide round saucers._

_Peter now wandered in oblivious to the most current mischief of Connor and Riley. Riley ran her fingers through her chocolate brown hair. There was blood on her machete and she looked proud. That meant she’d killed on a hunt. Riley wasn’t in this because she had a reason to hunt; she was just blood thirsty. Well that at least was the reason she stayed. They all knew she was there when a vamp had turned Connor’s brother. She had been going out with him for a while when he found out about the supernatural world and then she stayed with him when he started to hunt. She had confessed to Vera and Erika that she had been about to break up with him before his brother turned, then he got ‘so much more interesting’. She was the epitome of shallow. She always wore tight black clothing that showed off her curves and she was never without her perfect bright red lipstick. She always had to be perfect and Vera hated her. Vera wasn’t someone who could be tricked by her cute round face and wide hazel eyes. Riley and Connor always got them in trouble. She was too mischievous to trust and Connor was too angry to be rational. Erika and Vera knew they should ditch them for their own safety but Peter was a hard sell and they couldn’t very well leave him alone._

_So yeah, Vera was immediately on high alert when she looked at the pride on Riley’s face and the guilt on Connors. She traded a nod with Erika to say they were on the same page: Riley and Connor’s shit was handled so much more easily when they went on the attack._

_“What did you two do?” Vera asked standing to face them. Riley smiled at her._

_“Our job.” She said with an innocent voice and malicious eyes. “We came across the wolf we were looking for,” She looked at Peter, “And we took care of it.”_

_“You had no right to do that it was Peter’s kill!” Erika said standing up beside her. She rushed to get into Riley’s face and Riley was too ready for her to come. Vera ran between the two of them and everyone began yelling._

_“STOP!” Every head swiveled around to look at Peter._

* * *

 

“Now Peter was a sweet kid. I can’t say he was harmless because he was a hunter and it wouldn’t be true. We always had each other’s backs. He could barely take care of himself without Erika and me. He was a quiet boy, but man, when he spoke we all shut up and listened. Riley had Connor on a leash and liked to pretend she was in charge but Peter tended to be out real leader. It was scary how he was after they came back that day. He was angry but it was just like him: quiet and powerful.”

 

* * *

 

_Peter leaned his head against the wall his fists and forearms bracketing him on both sides. His deep labored breath was the only sound in the now silent room._

_“You didn’t have a right to take him Riley.”_

_“We had to defend ourselves!”_

_“Stop.” He shifted in on himself and Vera felt her own muscles tense. Erika grabbed her hand._

_“We would have died otherwise.”_

_“Riley.” He tightened even more. Like a spring winding down, just getting ready to pop._

_“We didn’t know we’d find him.”_

_“Shut up!” He flipped around to scream in her face. “You know you did this on purpose, you know you did! You go looking for it every time and you so bloodthirsty you can’t even get out of you own stupid head and think.”_

_“Leave her alone.” Connor said trying to get between the pair. It was a foolish venture but Connor had never held much in his pathetic mind. Nothing but his love for Riley, anyway._

_“You better back off right now.” Peter said. He sneered in his face. “I never disliked you Connor. It’s hard to dislike someone who’s hardly a person of their own though.”_

_“I said leave her alone.” Peter’s laugh was nothing more than air and he walked a tiny circle, one step away from Riley and then back again to punch Connor in the face. His nose broke instantly. Riley tightened her mouth but didn’t otherwise move to help him._

_“Now,” He continued rounding on Riley. He stalked toward her and ever time he advanced she would retreat. The cracks in her stoic façade started to show. “Did you ever think that other than betraying me and taking what was rightfully mine, you may have started something that would get us all killed?” His voice rose and Riley had tears in her eyes. For someone so wretched she was surprisingly weak._

_“The Rowe bloodline has been home to this land, my homeland, for years.” Riley was sinking down the wall at this point and Peter made sure he stayed in her face the whole time. “They set up like a monarchy, Alphas at the top. Ansell Rowe was next in line for the title. The one you killed, the one we’ve been tracking, Ansell Rowe was like fucking_ prince! _Do you get that? You killed him and then what?”_

_“We came back here.” She choked out. He straightened up and looked round at Vera. She could almost see how his anger took the back burner._

_“We don’t have much time. Pack only what necessary and be ready to run, go!” The three of them sprang into action and only a few minutes later froze at the sound of a howl in the distance. Vera grabbed up her pistol, which only had three silver bullets. They all had just three. She pulled out her knife and made her way to Erika and Peter. Riley and Connor were set up in the corner and the fear on their faces was apparent. The growling grew closer and grew low. They were all strung tight when they heard the front door being clawed apart five barrels of five guns swung toward the spot but the growls were retreating._

_“Anyone gonna get that?” Erika murmured. Vera brushed a hand over her face and huffed in relief and astonishment. She moved her shaking limbs toward the door. She wasn’t expecting what she found._

“It was a summons. The Rowe pack was very traditionalist and their Alphas Natalia and Lyndon had the right to demand their son’s killer.”

“Or they kill you all?” Dean guessed. She shook her head.

“Or they attack the town until the murderer’s death.”

“So you couldn’t just go.” Sam said.

“No. Erika especially couldn’t stand the thought of anyone else getting hurt because of us.”

“So you gave them Riley and Connor?”

“Not exactly…”

_“We won’t go!” Riley yelled hysterically hiding behind Connor who hadn’t gotten up off the ground since Peter broke his nose. Riley had wrapped in up so he had a bright white bandage across his purpling face._

_“Well you sure as hell ain’t gonna run you selfish soulless slut!” Erica screamed shaking her mane of red hair._

_“She’s right. If you try to run I swear I’ll give chase and bring your carcass before them. You won’t abandon this town. We won’t let you.”_

_“You’d have us die?” She squealed._

_“Maybe not.” Peter said joining in. He was holding the scroll the wolves had left. “It tells us where they’re gonna be.”_

_“So?” Connor says._

_“So, we could set a trap.” Erika supplies_

_“They want them at sunrise, soon. It’s not where they’re going to be it’s where they are.” Vera says._

_“Exactly. And we’re hunters. We now just what to do when we find a nest.”_

_“Are you insane!?” Riley screeches clutching Connors shoulders. “There could be twenty of them! Or more!”_

_“It’s the job! One you signed up for.”_

_“And even if we die, at least the town would stay as safe as it is now.” Vera puts in._

_“We called Linda. She would send someone else eventually.” Erika agrees._

_“We won’t go.” Connor says petulantly._

_Peter picks up a rifle and stalks up to Riley. “I’m not asking.”_

* * *

 

_“Vera?”_

_“Erika, what’s up?”_

_“Do you think we’ll make it out of tonight?”_

_“Sure you will hon.” She pulled the smaller girl close and kissed her on the head._

_“I’ve got you back remember that.” Erika stuck out her little finger._

_“Promise?”_

_“I promise.” Vera said taking the pinky with her own._

_She left and Peter wandered in not long after._

_“You ready for this?” He said._

_“Ready as I’ll ever be.”_

_“What those two, I don’t trust them.”_

_“Yeah well you ordered them in. You can take care of them.”_

_“We need them.”_

_“But we can’t trust them. Me and E we’ve been trying to tell you we should’ve left them a hell of a long time ago!”_

_“I’m sorry.”_

_“It doesn’t change now. Now we’re five against how many? Why are we doing this really Peter. We can hand them over. They deserve it.”_

_“Revenge would be a mother for a mother.”_

_“Pete, no”_

_“It’s not over.”_

_“You're going to get us killed.”_

_“Not us, just them.”_

_“It’s not fair and you know it. We can’t just leave them to die.”_

_“No, but we can make them fight for their chance to live again. A lot more mercy than us cutting a deal.”_

* * *

 

“It was fair. They started it. They owed it to us, to everyone, to at least fucking try and fix it. I agreed to it but I knew it was a bad plan. Hell, we all did. I should’ve known though. Riley was too scared and too selfish to stand and fight. I should’ve gutted her at the feet of the Alphas when I had the chance.”

“Ouch.” Dean makes a face.

“Better than what comes next.”

“They left you?” Sam asks. Vera nods.

“We were all in position. They even checked in. Then when we charged they were just gone. Peter was the only one who was successful. There were a dozen in the pack but old blood is well trained. Peter killed Natalia. Lyndon got in a good swipe at Peter. We went back for him and got blocked in. Connor made Riley come back to get us an escape route but we still weren’t out of the fire and it was every man for himself. After that all we could do was run. We didn’t run fast enough.” The sobs had crawled up her throat without her realizing and her voice broke.

“They got to Erika while I was circling back looking for Peter. There was nothing I could do to stop it.”

* * *

 

_It was raining and the mud was thick, clinging to Vera’s limbs. Vera screamed as she dropped to her knees and didn’t care that it would bring the wolves straight to her. Riley was calling Connor’s name and he took one look at Vera before turning his back and running. They knew they were no match for an angry Vera.  She screamed more and realized she was actually forming words._

_“You killed her! You coward! YOU KILLED HER!”_

_They were gone and yelling didn’t matter. Peter was hurt and he needed her help. She couldn’t move. Erika was cold and it wasn’t because of the rain. There was howling in the distance–but not that distant. She was sobbing now and she didn’t know where Peter had fallen. She was so useless. Her only friend was dead. She raked her hands through Erika’s red hair smoothing it’s short strands back from her face. The growls and snarls were right behind her now. Vera gathered Erika up in her arms. “I won’t leave you now.” Vera sobbed. “I’m sorry I couldn’t protect you.” The wolves were on her now. Vera pushed Erika toward the high gnarled roots of the tree above them and shielded her with her own body. ‘If you stay with her you’ll die too’ said a voice in her mind; it sounded like Peter. ‘Then let me die with her.’ She thought defiantly. She closed her eyes. She closed her eyes and waited._

_Vera screamed. She shrieked in agony as her back was torn open her back. There was no point in hiding. There was too much blood. The tree helped her a little. They couldn’t bite at her sides but they sure did rip at her back. They laid it open and kept forging deeper as if they could get to Erika through Vera’s middle. But that wasn’t what they wanted. There was fury pumping through their animalistic hearts at the loss of their Alpha and her son and they weren’t going to stop until they were either dead or they stood victorious on a field of carnage. Vera couldn’t fight back. She knew she was going to die here. She hoped Peter would be okay without her and she hoped bitterly that the wolves would catch Riley and Connor._

**_Bam!_ ** _There was a whine and a growl. The attack on Vera ceased for a moment._

**_BAM! BAM!_ **

_“Shit.” Said a gruff voice that Vera didn’t know. She was flicking in and out of consciousness. Was she dead? Was this death? How could it be just as disappointing as life?_

_“Hey kid you still alive?” And arm gently pulled her over so he could see her face. She feebly tried to hold on to Erika, but as the stranger moved her she couldn’t stay awake any more. She sure did hope Peter was alive._

 

* * *

 

 

“He got me out to a hospital. Even I don’t know how long I was laid up there. Long enough to have all kinds of questions thrown at me. My new hunter friend had to sneak me out of the hospital when I was well enough, and then about four more after that until I was good to hit the road again. He was a rough and tough old son of a bitch but I owe him my life many times over. This is when the hunting really began for me. He helped me train and he helped my build Odyne. He cut me loose after he’d taught me well enough. Told me to hack it on my own. After that I didn’t have anywhere to go so I went back to what I knew.”

“Hunting?”

“Supernatural. That was when I found Chuck and then yeah, also hunting.

“And what about the others?”

“I asked him about it once. He poured me a shot and told me to forget about it. Course I didn’t. There are autopsy reports for Erika and Riley and Connor, but not a bleep for Peter. I hoped for a while that maybe he got away, but when I think on it now I don’t really believe he did.”

It’s quite after that, a saturated heavy silence that pricks across the skin. Dean pulls down some glass and a bottle and pours them all a glass. They do what any human would do in the face of the unchangeable. They will it away with amber whiskey and somber silence. They don’t ask any more questions.

**Works inspired by this one:**

  * [Kansas Lullaby](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1594910) by [Shadowspeaker](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowspeaker/pseuds/Shadowspeaker)




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